How big are they?

[Emily-Fisher]

I was wondering how long it takes for a ball python to reach it's full size. But there is a bit more to it. I have read on the internet that ball pythons need a basking spot of 90 degrees. So in that case, should I use a heatpad <I>and</i> a heat lamp? How many watts should the heat lamp be? The snake would be housed in a 30 gallon aquarium (yes, with a locking screen lid.). I also read that wild caught ball pythons will have a very very hard time accepting mice as food. Is this true? About what percentage of the WC ball pythons <i>will</i> eat rodents? I am going to buy a captive bred ball python IF I even do buy on at all but I am still curious. I would really like to know every single detail of their care (except for breeding) before I buy my first python so that nothing goes wrong. Thanks in advance!!
Emily

[killaclown]

I duno how long it takes to be full grown buti use a heatlamp in the day and heat pad at night. With my expernce with wc i think with alot of efort they eat later(or die)
http://ballpythoncave.cjb.net/ has a good care sheet

[Pixie]

Growth rate varies with the individual snake and it's feeding habits, especially with balls. Around 2-3 years though a bp will have done most of it's growing.

I would suggest you definitely get yourself a CB ball, they are much easier to find now. In fact I saw some CB babies just a few days ago available at Magazoo here in Montreal for a really decent price. They are absolutely adorable, it was quite hard to resist walking out with another snake!!!

As for the heating, mine only have UTH's and are doing fine. My warm end is around 88° and the cool around 80°. A 30gal will do fine to house your snake into adulthood.

Pixie

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

I heard a decent ratio is about 3-4 feet every 3 years. But as Pixie said, its all about the feeding and housing. I have a WC myself, Well she used to be a "Half-Dead" snake...Really bad RI, Struck at EVERYTHING, Wouldnt feed f/t, and had terrible sheds. Now I have her on f/t adult mice, she just gave me an utterly PERFECT shed that is now up on my wall, breathing is great, and I can handle her whenever now. In the longrun, get a CB and you wont have to deal with the problems. They may be a litle more pricey but the money is worth it in exchange for a *PROBABLY* non hassle snake. Tho they do go on fasts...bah. Good luck! :D

[Linds]

Most heat pads easily surpass the 90 degree mark and should be controlled with a dimmer or thermostat. If you choose to use lighting, or need to use lighting to increase the ambient temperature if your house is too cool, then it is jsut something you will have to experiement with finding the right wattage. It varies from household and setup to household and setup what you will need because everyone has different temps, etc in their home. Balls naturally feed on rodents in the wild, so if a WC ball will feed on anything, rodents will be its choice. Some may prefer gerbils or hamsters to mice or rats. Balls are born large enough to feed on rats, so if you can, avoid feeding mice altogether. Sometimes they can be tough to switch and they are a fairly heavybodied python, so most adults reach a size where they are easily taking medium, and in some cases even large rats.

[BallPython13]

ive always read that they grow 1 foot every year!!!